"It is time for Mubarak to go." That was the simple message from left-wing Labour MP John McDonnell in the Commons today.

But Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt replied: "You make your own point ... it is not for the Government of the UK to dictate to the Egyptian people how they should govern themselves."

Liberal Democrat former leader Sir Menzies Campbell said: "In formulating a response to events in Egypt, we are to some extent hampered by the ambiguity of previous policy - not only towards Egypt but towards the region - which appear to put security of energy supply, particularly oil, above issues of democracy and human rights.

"How will this Government set the balance?"

Mr Burt said the UK had consistently engaged in discussions with Egypt and other countries in the area "about the need for political and social reform".

Is this the issue that broke the camel's back? House of Lords reform has long been talked about, but nothing has happened. But could Labour peers have signed its death warrant.

The coalition is furious with the blocking tactics deployed by ex-Labour MPs in the second chamber over the flagship bill to hold a referendum on voting reform on 5 May.

As I blogged last week, an exasperated Nick Clegg spoke about people having a say if Labour peers "let us". As we know, the Lib Dem leader and his party have long wanted reform of the second chamber.

But now the Tory side also seem cheesed off. Could that mean change actually happens?

People have died from the latest outbreak of flu. Question marks have been cast over the Government's handling of the situation.

Coalition ministers have promised to be open and transparent. So, surely this is an appropriate use of the freedom of information act to ask the Department of Health what information was handed to Health Secretary Andrew Lansley in December 2010?

The response was yes we have information - in fact hundreds of items - but we are not going to give it to you. And the reason for the block was that it was too costly to release the information.

Far be it from me to question that, but other similar requests from other departments have been processed. And surely a computer search can sift the information?

28 Weeks

At seven months pregnant the 'is she, isn't she' type looks have all but dried up. You can tell just by glancing I'm most certainly 'with child'. But, I have to say, there's none of this camouflaging the tummy business going on. In fact I'm very proud of my bump. Ever since I developed a bit of a bulge I've been sticking it out loud and proud.

Cheltenham Festival is getting close and what better way to crank up the excitement than Trial's day. There's some cracking action on show and not just at Cheltenham either, with Doncaster and Fairyhouse offering some decent action as well. Lets just hope they all beat this bloody weather.....

This is sensational stuff, former Labour Cabinet Minister Nick Brown yesterday told me that he was the victim of phone hacking.

It wasn't just a case of his mobile, but a bug being put on his landline. But in terms of the mobile phone hacking, Mr Brown said the case went to court and involved other people - which may have included the Royal Family.

This is really snowballing, with Leslie Ash complaining that her children's mobiles were hacked while Labour frontbencher Tessa Jowell said an attempt was made to access her voicemail last week.

The Met Police have reopened their inquiry into phone hacking of celebrities and politicians - that news came just after David Cameron used this week's PMQs to cut former spin doctor Andy Coulson seriously adrift.

Last night, on one TV report it suggested this could become newspapers very own expenses scandal with the drip, drip of allegations.

I'M back in sparring after my cut before Christmas - and thanks to Michael Banbula I've got something to motivate me on the road back to fitness.

You might remember I fought Banbula last summer in my "mad fight". We drew at the end of eight rounds, which was a disgrace - I'd been told we were only fighting for six!

This morning I went to see a performance of Underneath the Floorboards at Northern Stage.

This is a wonderful dance production directed by Liv Lorent and aimed at an audience of under 5 year olds. Liv has successfully surmounted the problem of how to keep pre-schoolers still for 45 minutes, by making the studio space a free for-all. Children are free to dance or wander round the set as the dancers perform and this works surprisingly well. Of course, parents love seeing the little ones on stage too (especially when they don't have to chase after them).

Many of the children seemed barely aware that they were part of the audience, but all were caught up in the magic of the strange, exciting world beneath the floorboards. I came home with the spring in my step that these innovative productions always give me. Is there any better way to introduce a child to theatre, dance and performance than with such a gently mesmerising production? I was incredibly impressed.

It was all the more disheartening therefore to hear that the RSC have cancelled their Newcastle shows for this season. Newcastle has been the Royal Shakespeare Company's home in the north since 1977. Funding cuts mean the company no longer feels it can afford its annual trip to the provinces for the first time in 35 years.

What will happen to UK Government's holdings in British banks - namely RBS, LloydsTSB and Northern Rock.

It seemed as if the Government was paving the way for a sale of Northern Rock. UKFI, which holds the shares, is looking for advisors to help a potential privatisation.

But now Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg says the banks, bailed out by taxpayers in the wake of the credit crunch, should remain in public hands for several more years.

UPDATE: Did Nick Clegg sound more than a little resigned to Labour peers blocking his plans for a referendum on AV on May 5? At the very least it sounded like he was pleading with them.

It was an anside, but perhaps a telling one, during a lunch with regional political journalists - myself included - that some might suggest so.

He said the expenses scandal might now be a "distant memory", but had sparked a crisis of trust - and underlined need for radical reform to a system already "creaking and running out of steam"

"We are trying to repair that as well and of course as you know there are many features to it whether it is House of Lords reform

"... Or it is having a referendum, if the dinosaurs in the Labour party will allow us, in the House of Lords, if they will let the legislation through to let the people have a say on a new electoral system..."

Some might say that hardly sounds confident...